Carl Frampton vs Scott Quigg: Shane McGuigan hails UK boxing
Tuesday 23 February 2016 17:23, UK
Shane McGuigan believes the high quality of British boxing coaches will result in a migration of American fighters.
McGuigan is currently preparing IBF world super-bantamweight champion Carl Frampton to take on WBA holder Scott Quigg on Saturday - live on Sky Sports Box Office - and has credited the crop of fellow UK trainers.
McGuigan told Sky Sports: ""Boxing in the UK is the best it's ever been in terms of world champions. There are a lot of elite fighters out there and we're really making a name for ourselves. Joe has three world champions, Adam Booth, Jimmy Tibbs, Tony Borg and David Coldwell. There are some really good coaches out there.
"We're really establishing ourselves and it won't be long until American fighters start coming over and want to work with us. I've got my hands full at the moment with David [Haye], George [Groves] and Carl plus the prospects coming through. They're the future.
I've always been a big Manny Pacquiao fan so I always go to Freddie Roach. There's also Virgil Hunter; Amir Khan's trainer. You do look out for certain people.
"Surrounding yourself with good quality fighters is going to bring the best out of them. George, David and Frampton all train quite a lot together. All the prospects were looking at Carl and it's quite hard to emulate him. If a fighter has longer limbs, they can look to George then you have Carl using his feet and David using his reflexes."
While McGuigan admits he has always kept an eye on the techniques used by the likes of legendary coaches Freddie Roach and Virgil Hunter, he feels it's important to develop a unique style by observing as much as possible at close quarters.
McGuigan added: "I didn't look up to anyone. I just took it day by day and tried to immerse myself in boxing as much as possible. Pads always came quite easy to me and I think tactically I could always look at a fight and break it down.
"I don't really watch boxing as a fan. I watch it as a critic. That's the way you've got to be. Just like any other trainer will look at Frampton's faults.
"I've always been a big Manny Pacquiao fan so I always go to Freddie Roach. There's also Virgil Hunter; Amir Khan's trainer. You do look out for certain people, certain things and take little things from them to implement in your game plan."
Carl Frampton vs Scott Quigg, exclusively live on Sky Sports Box Office on February 27, is available to order via Sky remote and online
